Gone, But Not Forgotten
by BurningFox6
Summary: CONTAINS MOVIE SPOILERS. It's time for her new life to begin. At least, until she gets a message from the last person she expected. It seems someone's not content with how they left things...


**A/N: I just watched the SU movie and for the most part, I loved it! Great songs, animation, great writing… mostly. The part I felt wasn't up to par, and the reason I'm writing this fic, is because the ending felt lackluster to me. You have a character that genuinely needs people to make time for them to heal… and then you just throw them away for your space aunts to deal with instead. It wasn't a**_**wful**_**, since finding new people is also a solution… but I was praying the whole time that Steven would tell his family to back off for just one moment and go give Spinel the hug she desperately needed. She might not ever get that hug, but I hope there's a chance she may appear again. And so I wrote this to give her a bit more of a positive ending. **

**I should probably clarify I'm not dropping all the blame on Steven. Both characters screwed up – him with poor prioritizing, her with giving in to the paranoia and anger. I hope I managed to get that across. And I hope you like it!**

* * *

"It's certainly much more pleasing to look at than that revolting little planet, mmm?" White Diamond's booming voice was already amplified by her size, but it was even louder when it was coming from right next to Spinel. She sat perched on the giant woman's shoulder, kicking her legs and teetering a bit when the diamond's shoulder suddenly shook with laughter. "But Steven loves it, so it's fine! Underneath the muck, and grime, and… pink rivers of poison."

Spinel giggled along with her, though hers trailed off into an uneasy hum. She was kiiiiinda responsible for most of the mess they'd arrived to, but they didn't need to know that. Instead, she sat back and let White carry on. "Anywho… tell us, tell us, what do you think?"

The diamond swept an arm over the room, the white of her body providing a stark contrast to the overload of pink around them. Pink floor, pink walls, pink curtains, pink _everything_. The room was small, but gorgeous, adorned with sparkles in the walls and bubbles floating around up above. And also… strange, blocky things with cushions on them? "That's called a 'bed'," Yellow Diamond explained from the side. "Don't pay it any mind, Steven had some things made while he stayed here. And since he seems intent on making us wait here, bored and alone, I suppose we can let you have it."

Steven. It always came back to Steven. At least this time he wasn't the focus. A grin split Spinel's face ear to ear – then promptly flipped around, her mind already coming up with excuses for this kindness. "You're just having me warm it for him til' he comes to visit, ain'tcha…?"

The oncoming doldrums were chased away when she felt a giant blue finger fell gently on her, the digit even bigger than her head. "Now, now, don't think that way," Blue Diamond cooed, rubbing her affectionately between her pigtails. "He's made it clear Earth is his home. If he does come to visit, we'll work something out. This room is yours, now and forever. You're not Pink, but you were hers… so it seems only fitting we let you have what was hers."

Were they telling the truth? Spinel had no way of knowing. …But this was a fresh start, a new slate, and she wanted more than anything for it to be true. So she shoved her lingering doubts to the back of her mind and stretched, looping her arms around White's neck in the galaxy's biggest hug. "Ooooh, thank you! Thank you, you, and you! You three are real gems!"

"I think she likes it," Yellow Diamond mused, reaching a hand up to the smaller gem. Taking the cue, Spinel hopped on, and the diamond lowered her to the floor. "If you truly wish to thank us, you can show us more of your humorous antics once you've gotten used to your new home. Fair?"

"You've got it, my diamonds!" Spinel spun, her arms twisting upwards, forming both a diamond and a heart underneath. Sharing a laugh at her enthusiasm, the diamonds departed, the door sliding shut behind them.

As soon as she was alone, Spinel collapsed, limbs drooping into a puddle as she groaned long and loud. Being so enthusiastic after millennia of misery was… exhausting. It'd all come so easy to her, long ago, but now…

Her limbs slowly reeled back into place until she founds herself laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. It was exhausting, yes, but deep down, she felt the dimmest spark of hope. She'd never go back to how she was before, but maybe, one day, she could goof and play just as easily as her old self had. She just needed time to heal…

"Oh! One more thing…" The door slid back open and Spinel yelped, immediately posing as if she'd just been relaxing rather than laying in a heap. White Diamond stuck her head back in, giving her a smile. "Steven sent a message. We were elated! …But, it was for you. A pity, but we'll bring it to you nonetheless. Just one moment!"

…Somehow, Spinel had the feeling she'd have to get used to them barging in like that. White slunk back out, only for a pink screen to materialize before Spinel's eyes. Her fists clenched as an all-too-familiar human appeared on it, his smiling face making her feel like her stomach was twisting in knots.

What did he want? Whatever it was, _she _didn't want it. It was already hard enough to let the past go when _it was already coming back to haunt her_. They might have finally come to an understanding, but she knew any chance at a friendly interaction between them was at rock bottom. They'd both made mistakes… and though she felt her temper flare at him, unwilling or unable to spare her even a single moment, she found herself dreading what he had to say more than anything. She swiped a hand through the message, hoping to dissipate it, then wiggling her arms through it frantically when that didn't work. No dice. It wasn't going away, and the Diamonds were hitting play for her wherever they were. Spinel ducked in on herself, wishing she was anywhere but here as the boy began to speak.

"Hey!" Just… hey. The first thing he has to say after she'd tried to kill him and his planet… hey. She ducked her head a bit more, and he went on. "I just wanted to check in, make sure everything's going fine for you. I know I said the diamonds aren't easy to get along with, but they've been getting better! Annnnd… I also wanted to let you know there's no hard feelings for the whole 'poisoning the Earth' thing. Turns out, I can fix it! So don't worry about a thing."

…Hmph. That was it? It made her feel a bit better to know her fit of fury hadn't caused any permanent damage, but this was all he really had to say? 'I couldn't make time for you so I hope my relatives can do better'? After a moment, she sighed… him messaging her at all was more than she deserved after what she'd done. Disappointed, but accepting it, she waved the message away, expecting it to vanish now that he'd had his say.

…But the message continued. Where he'd been smiling before, he now looked a bit ashamed, rubbing the back of his head and unable to look at the camera. "Also, I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I know I told you to make some changes, but… after thinking about it, I realized I should've made some changes, too. I was so eager to make my family whole again, so happy when they remembered who they were… I guess I kinda lost sight of the person who needed my attention most of all." By now, Spinel's neck had stretched 'til she was face to face with him, her attention completely captured. He went on.

"A lot of pain could've been avoided if I'd just given you a minute of my time. We wouldn't have had to fight each other. Maybe… we could've been friends. I don't expect you to forgive me, but if you're ever willing… maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even the day after that… we could meet up and just… give it one more shot. Just you and I, no one else. I promise." He paused. Then, he chuckled. "I don't even know if you'll still believe me after all the times I failed you. I hope you can… but if not, I wish you luck with the Diamonds. I'm sure they'll do a better job than I did. I'm not sure what else I can say, other than… I hope you're finally living the life you deserve. Think about what I said, okay? Bye!"

Just as quickly as it'd came, the screen blipped out of existence. It took a good minute before Spinel realized her neck was still stretched out and she snapped it back, head wobbling from the recoil. Rest assured, her thoughts were jumbled even before making her brain shake like an earthquake. Her mind was abuzz, his words ringing in her ears, and she had no idea what to do…

…Except laugh. The empty room echoed with her sounds of amusement, gradually increasing in pitch, the girl eventually slapping the floor with her hands and feet as she let it all out. She didn't even know why she was laughing. Maybe the idea of the savior of the galaxy sending her an apology message was just too silly? Maybe she'd lost it even more than before? Or maybe laughter was the one thing she knew best? The one thing that was for sure was when she finally stopped to wipe her eyes, body still shaking from the giggles… she felt much better.

She wouldn't get back to him. At least, not yet. She had new people to focus on, a new life. But she wouldn't forget, either. Maybe someday, even if it was years from now… she might just take him up on that offer.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure if it came out well, since I wasn't in a very writing mood as I wrote this, but it just felt like something I needed to do. I hope it was worth the read regardless. Maybe I'll make more later, about her new life with the Diamonds, meeting the Pebbles, or even her second chance with Steven… we'll see!**


End file.
